Well I went to the Vintage Auto Sprints at Christie (near Hamilton,
Ontario) over the weekend. A great event other than a rainy Saturday morning.
There were all manner of really old machines there, a tent full of auto
art, another tent full of shirts, badges and model car. Jag had a tent up
for tea. All very civilized.
On the way there Saturday we drove into heavy rain but all the bridges
were blocked off by construction so we never could pull over. Very unsafe
for anybody even in a modren car. At 70 mph we stayed dry anyway.
However, even in the rain I could smell something. Then I'd hear a faint
tapping under the hood and it would stop. Ten minutes lateranother faint
tapping and I could tell that the smell was rubber.
We were nearly there so I soldiered on to the site. It turned out to be a
nearly new fan belt coming apart layer by layer. The tappping was the top
lamination flapping around before flying off.
My passenger suggested that , since I had just mounted a new alternator,
it may be poor puuley alignment. Makes sense. I did have to mount the old
pulley on the new unit and the blades at the front had fouled the smallest
bit at first. Still, could such a small misalignment kill a belt in less
than twenty hours of driving, mostly in town under 40 mph ?
I have never given this much thought or attention. Regular belt and hose
changing and always carying spares has saved me (and many others) from
the grief of minor breakdowns.
If this IS as critical as it seems how do you align the belt "just so" to
avoid over heating it? I know I can shim it out with washers, but is
there a trick to getting the pullies all in a row? Seems like such a
basic servicing item.
Chris "all his ducks in a row" Ball
"OK lady, I'll change my belt, you change your hose and we'll be fine."
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